R is for Ring
by Adelost
Summary: The ring was nice, she noticed, as she slid it onto her finger. Suddenly, her stomach churned as she realised what she had done. Dropping the ring, she flew in a straight line towards the beach. Rated T for safety. But rating may raise accordingly. Slowly developing RRBxPPG.
1. Her Guilt

Nobody's POV

Cody fiddles with his pockets, reaching for the ring. _Where is it?_ He thinks, scrambling around his pockets for minutes, as the seconds tick by on the clock. He can't focus on the clock, but Bubbles would be there soon, and he couldn't disappoint her.

He straightens himself on the wall, as to avoid putting too much weight on his ankle, shifting from time to time. Another blonde passes by, slouching as they move. Cody took no notice, hopping onto his left foot, gritting his teeth.

Eventually, Bubbles comes, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She's grinning, gripping him by the arms as she guides him around the area, moving him out of the heavy metal gates, until they're safe and alone. The smile on his face broadens.

"Bubbles…" He whispers, his breath tickling her ear now. She smiles at him, with his hands wrapped around her waist. "Yes, Cody?" She asks, her lips forming the words, as her warm breath heats his lips. He realises how passionate he truly is.

Quickly, before he does anything that he might regret, he falls to a knee clumsily, wincing as more weight is shifted onto his leg. He tries to ignore the pain, fiddling with his pocket until he pulls out a ring and smiles. Bubbles looks surprised, anxious and finally surprised, with her smile suddenly glued onto her face.

"A ring." She says, her eyes beginning to flit around, Bubbles was actually kind of uncomfortable. Cody nods, opening his mouth, shifting his weight as he bends his knee. "B-Bubbles Utonium, would you do me the honour of being my wife?" He smiles again, his grin a little crooked… but clearly meaning well.

She sighs, her eyes moving down to the ring he has on her finger. There's an awkward pause, as Bubbles isn't sure of what to say. These situations are not ones she's been in before, so she only knows to say one thing.

"No…" She whispers, her eyes widen as she clearly expresses grief and anxiety. "I'm sorry." She's in such a rush, she dashes off with the ring staying on her finger. Before he can give chase, she's floated away completely, as if she never was there.

With a graceful curve, she disappears into the air, swirling herself. Cody will never be able to speak to her again, he blew it and he knows that he has messed it up. He kicks the floor, grunting again as the sound of the thump of his leg against the pavement fills his ears.

Bubbles' POV

I look at Blossom and Buttercup, my eyes barely meeting their gaze. I knew how they felt – they were disappointed. Cody was sweet, special… but he wasn't good enough, he didn't make me feel how I wanted to feel. My palms begin to sweat, and I lick my lips in anxiety, again.

"Why didn't you say yes?" Blossom asks, finally speaking. When she speaks, her voices cracks and wobbles as she coughs, looking at the floor. I in turn look at the ground, finding it suddenly very interesting.

Buttercup sits on the sofa; her arms crossed and fire blazing in a slash against her eyes. "You should have said yes. He's not a wimp like the others." I try to ignore what she said, even though I know she's right.

Cody was right for me, and I still didn't want him. I try to think again, realising that I could be incredibly selfish. I could have everything I wanted with the click of my nails; Cody didn't get everything, because all he needed was me.

_Me._

I suddenly knock the biscuits off the table, to the surprise of both my sisters.

"I'm going after him." I say, springing out of my seat. Blossom nods silently as Buttercup lightly punches me on the shoulder with an appreciative nod.

I twirled, moving into the sky as the door clicked shut behind me. I moved so quickly, I felt the ring clatter beneath me, but I couldn't care less. I swoop around the air, weaving from building to building, until Boomer suddenly hovers in front of me.

With a smack, I'm sent hurling into a building. I grunt, looking up at Boomer, who crosses his arms. "You ran into me." He snaps, tightening his arms and locking them together. I sigh, trying to move past him. "Say sorry." He whines, pushing me back gently.

"Sorry." I say, absent-mindedly, as I float past. Boomer looks frustrated, but I couldn't deal with that yet. All I wanted was to see Cody and call it a day. My phone goes off, but I refuse to reach it, continuing my voyage through the sky.

_Where did Cody like to go?_

_The beach! That's it!_

I touch down at the beach, flicking sand into my eyes. The sand disappears from my eyes quickly and with ease, as I begin to make my way along the sand, still sighing. My phone vibrates once more, but I feel too focussed to think about other things.

_His favourite spot on the beach?_

I amble towards the rocks, charging towards them. He's not there, so I clamber onto a rock, sitting for a few seconds as I hug my knees. I finally choose to look at my phone; it's a text from Blossom:

_Cody left a note for you. He sent me a text explaining that you should go to his favourite place on the beach. Tell me what the note said._

_Xoxo, Blossom & Buttercup._

I smile at the message, scanning the rocks for any sign of the note. Eventually, the note turns up, but the rock has wiped water on it, smudging some of his inky hand writing. I sigh, carefully reading the note.

_Dear Bubbles,_

_ My dear, I have always loved you. I knew that you were in love with Boomer from when you first laid eyes on him. Why should I hinder your happiness? _

_I shan't do so. Be happy with Boomer, as he is in love with you too. As for me, never forget about me, or who I am, as my existence is irrelevant to the world I live in. _

_All I ever wanted was you, I could have other things or want other things (like my leg injury to be gone), but the conclusion of all my needs was you. _

_ I wish you a happy life, one that is happier than mine. You never loved me, but I will always love you, even after death._

_In case you're wondering, I have chosen to die near a place I love. The rocks are sharp and the waves are strong at night. My death will take a few minutes, less than the pain I endured for years._

_Never worry about me Bubbles, my death was for the best. I beg you never to forget me or anything associated with me._

_~Cody_

I wipe tears from my eyes, sobbing into my knees as the note shreds under the rock, torn to pieces. Of all ways to end, he had chosen that.

Flipping out my phone, I punch some words in. How could I even express my sorrow through the use of a phone? The text needs less than ten words to get the point across.

_Cody left me a suicide note, he's dead._

I shut my phone, hearing the ping as the text is sent. As I look down on myself, I can see the ring on my finger. I gasp, choking on tears once again, as I throw the ring off my finger. A tall figure stands behind me, saying nothing.

The black cloaks us both, as they sit down, smiling sadly. "He loved you." He says, glancing at his watch. I nod silently.

"You didn't love him… you wanted to be friends, right?" I nod more vigorously, wanting it to be true and not to blame myself for his death.

"It's not your fault you didn't feel that way. I understand…" He pauses, his finger on the tip of his chin, as he shrugs off the black cloak, wrapping it around my bear arms.

"Thank you." I whisper, my voice raspy.

"No problem. But… Bubbles, you know people care…? I…" He looks at the sand, his eyes not meeting mine.

"You care. My sisters care. My friends care. Everyone does… when they shouldn't." I say, sighing. He shakes his head again.

"Bubbles, his death wasn't your fault. He was suffering from multiple other disorders _and_ he was love-sick. It's not your fault you're so lovable." He says, wrapping an arm around me.

"Boomer… lovable? Me?" I ask, jerking slightly in his grasp.

He loosens his grip, his gaze fixed on the cloak wrapped around my arms.

"Keep it." He says. "Just… when you explain to your sisters about his death… don't blame yourself."

I nod, already looking away. He flies away in a flash of blue, and the peaceful conversation we had is over, as is life.

_Buzz…_

_Buzz…_

I take my phone out of my pocket, seeing three new messages from Blossom.

One by one, I read them.

_Suicide? Bubbles, are you okay? I'm so sorry for your loss; I know he was a great friend to all of us._

_Bubbles? Bubbles? Are you there? Please answer; I know how sad you must feel._

_It's not the end, Bubbles; it's not the end of life. Please answer me; I understand, I care, okay?_

I close my phone, shaking my head. Surprisingly, I didn't feel like it mattered. When I had sat down with Boomer, he had been sweet… for a Jojo, anyway. He didn't seem to be irritated by how I kept blaming…

_Uh oh._

Picking up my phone, I ignore the constant buzzes escaping it, swiping and swiping until I get to my contacts. Oddly enough, Boomer's there. I tap the call icon, with a surprising smile on my face.

"Boomer?"

His voice is crackly on the other side, and I can hear his brothers yelling. His voice wobbles as he responds.

"Bubbles? Is that you?" He asks. I open my mouth, lips closer to-

"Butch! Quit it! Brick, I swear, I'll kill- Bubbles? Hello?"

"Still here!" I exclaim, desperate not to get him off the phone. I can briefly hear the word 'girlfriend' and 'new' being slotted together, as I try not to cry. They didn't understand, clearly. I was calling him because… because…

I don't know, but there was a friend I needed… and Cody wasn't here, so who else would I select? He'd proven to be more empathetic than I had given him credit for.

"Hang on, I'm talking." I can hear his voice again, less wobbly and more certain… in a way. "Bubbles, is there something you want?"

I lick my lips, trying to think of how I should say it. There's no way of saying it without sounding out of the ordinary. "Boomer… meet me at my house at 3:00, not 15:00 but 3:00. I have something to tell you." With that, I wait briefly.

"What?"

I sigh, repeating myself.

"Why?"  
>"It doesn't matter, just be there, okay?" I tell him, my voice becoming a little sterner. I tap the red button, as there is a beep and the call is over. I don't plan on calling him again until he arrives.<p>

**A/N:**

**I plan to continue.**

**P.S: I'm taking requests! Except some will not be done until late summer - going on holiday.**

**Also, the fanfictions I can confirm I'll do:**

**-AOT**

**-SAO**

**-PPG(Z)**

**-Gossip Girl**

**-90210**

**-Greek**

**-Fantastic Mr Fox**

**-The Secret Garden (I do not ship Mary/Dickon, only Mary/Colin, sorry).**

**-Hey, Arnold!**

**-Toy Story 1-3**

**-WALL-E**

**Ones in moderation:**

**-Veronica Mars**

**-Dawson's Creek**

**-Suburgatory**

**-New Girl**

**-Orphan Black**

**-Fairy Tail**

**Pairings I will ****_never_**** do:**

**-Dickon/Mary**

**-Evan/Cappie**

**-Levi/Eren**

**-Liam/Annie**

**-Cody/Bubbles**

**-Ace/Buttercup**

**-Butchubbles, Brickubbles - only blue x blue, red x red and green x green.**

**That's it.**

**I'll also be making a fictionpress acount soon!**

**~Adelost**


	2. Where She Went

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated for ages, but the schoolwork I have to do is making it hard, along with writer's block. I'll try to update more frequently, but I can't make any promises. Note: I'm also working on a requested 'Austin & Ally' fanfiction. Send me PMs for more requests.**

Bubbles' POV

It was two forty in the morning. I gripped onto my sheets, eyes twinkling. He would come, and I knew it. Briefly, my mind flashes about Cody. I see his smile, his warm, blue eyes and wonder if I felt something… but nothing.

His image quickly switches to Boomer, flipping his hair, the blonde waves flapping about his head. His hands moving in circular motions, waving as he plays with a fly. A smile snuck onto my face before I could stop it.

Would life always be this unexpected? I turn to glance at my alarm clock, then the window. He was out there, perhaps slouched with his brothers in a room… or… I don't know, doing whatever. I consider resting my eyes, but…

I can't.

My eyes flicked towards the clock, as I exhaled, hoping not to wake my sisters. I could barely make out their snoring over the sound of the clock, that seemed to become louder and louder with every blink. I picked up on a weird sound, one that sounded like it was raining – flying sure was going to be fun tonight.

I check my watch: two fifty seven. Now I was beginning to lose faith. I floated off my bed, suspended in mid-air, floating downwards, as I rummaged through my possessions, realising I had packed so logically there was no need for it.

Something washed over me, and it was a wave of pain and dizziness. I try to sleep, and keep my eyes shut, though behind my closed eyes, I can see flashes of blue. The minute my eyes slide shut, the dreams begin.

The first one is with Cody, and all I can see is Cody wandering to the edges of the sea, simply stood there. He falls, unable to carry his own weight, crossing his legs, as if he were relaxed. It quickly turns into night, and the first wave hits his legs. He shudders, but says nothing to me.

Where was I? I looked around, and all I saw was stretches of sea – I was hovered above the sea, simply stood there, watching Cody. Cody said nothing still, but his eyes seemed to widen as he glanced in my direction, and fixed his lifeless, drained and sort of glassy stare onto me.

The next wave hit him, and I screamed, but he didn't. He nodded, before moving backwards slightly, and poising, writing some note down – the note I had found in our special area. He finished, hiding it under the rock, and he walked into the sea slowly.

All I can see is him being tossed and turned by waves, unable to help him. He shivers with cold and fear, but he's too far from the shore to call for help. His voice wobbles and cracks; and I'm still hovering above him.

It had to finish. I fly at him furiously, making sure to kick him with as much strength as possible. It's enough to send him backwards, his head smashing against a rock. The impact is somewhere near his ear. I hear him breathe, looking down at my feet.

He exhales once more – but there will be no recovery – he'll never walk the Earth again, and it's because of me.

Cody is dead.

When I look at my feet, I see blood soaking into them, and just like that, my feet are gone, engulfed by nothing more than red. I fiddle with my hair, only to find it has changed – it's not in pigtails anymore. I flick my hair, confused, until I float back to shore, puzzled.

Slowly, I move along the sand, looking for the beach bathrooms, struggling to open the doors. I can hear footsteps behind me, but I prefer to believe I'm isolated from everyone else.

Once I can access a mirror, I look at myself, and to my horror, I've become Boomer. Slowly, words begin to scrawl themselves onto the mirror.

_WHORE_

_SLUT_

_LOSER_

_TRAMP_

_HARLOT_

_TWO-TIMER_

_MURDERER_

_BULLY_

_BURN IN HELL, BITCH_

_KILL YOURSELF_

_NOBODY LIKES YOU_

_DIE_

_WHORESLUTLOSERTRAMPHARLOTTWO-TIMERMURDERERBULLYBURNINHELLBITCHKILLYOURSELFNOBODYLIKESYOUDIE WHORESLUTLOSERTRAMPHARLOTTWO-TIMERMURDERERBULLYBURNINHELLBITCHKILLYOURSELFNOBODYLIKESYOUDIEWHORESLUTLOSERTRAMPHARLOTTWO-TIMERMURDERERBULLYBURNINHELLBITCHKILLYOURSELFNOBODYLIKESYOUDIEWHORESLUTLOSERTRAMPHARLOTTWO-TIMERMURDERERBULLYBURNINHELLBITCHKILLYOURSELFNOBODYLIKESYOUDIE_

I scream, the words are too much, and there's so much truth in them. I kick and kick, trying to shatter the mirror, but my scream echoes, and the words continue writing themselves, as my screams get louder and louder.

_WHORESLUTLOSERTRAMPHARLOTTWOTIMERMURDERERBULLYBURNINHELLBITCHKILLYOURSELFNOBODYLIKESYOUDIEWHORESLUTLOSERTRAMPHARLOTTWO-TIMERMURDERERBULLYBURNINHELLBITCHKILLYOURSELFNOBODYLIKESYOUDIEWHORESLUTLOSERTRAMPHARLOTTWO-TIMERMURDERERBULLYBURNINHELLBITCHKILLYOURSELFNOBODYLIKESYOUDIEWHORESLUTLOSERTRAMPHARLOTTWO-__**TIMERMURDERERBULLYBURNINHELLBITCHKILLYOURSELFNOBODYLIKESYOUDIEWHORESLUTLOSERTRAMPHARLOTTWOTIMERMURDERERBULLYBURNINHELLBITCHKILLYOURSELFNOBODYLIKESYOUDIE**_

The words were stronger, in bold, and I was shaking. My knees buckled, and Bubbles flew to my side. And just like that, Bubbles faded away, and my looks faded too, as I found that I was wearing my blonde hair down, in an orange jumpsuit.

I look in the mirror, cupping my face in horror, before slapping the hand over my mouth. The mirror seems to be laughing at me, still writing the words, until they begin to cover each other.

And then I scream.

I barely hear myself scream, as someone shakes me, and I shake, dropping to my knees.

_"Bubbles!" _A voice hisses loudly. I stop screaming, only to look up at blue eyes staring back at me. Even as his grip leaves me, I still feel my knees knocking against each other in terror.

"What was that about?" He asks, puzzled, as I place my hands between my knees to stop them.

"Dunno. Just a nightmare. I'm fine now." I answer, lying.

"Right. So why'd you want me to come?"

"Well, this is going to sound kind of dumb, but..."  
>"But…?"<br>"I want to run away. With you."  
>He falls back slightly, letting go of my arms. Quickly, he regains his balance, hovered over my bed, rather than being on the floor.<p>

"Yeah, Bubbles, that's… that's not funny." He murmurs, his face a little darker.

"What – what's not funny?"

"You're serious. Well… well… what about your sisters?" He asks, puzzled.

"They don't need me." I whisper, hugging my knees, burying my head between them. I focus on my duvet, refusing to look up.

He shakes his head. "You've got to… well… you have to stay, Bubbles. We can't just…"

There's that hesitance. He wants to do it, and I'm going to make him do it if I have to.

"But don't you _like_ me, Boomer? Don't you want to _help_ me?" I ask, trying to manipulate him. I couldn't believe it was coming to this.

He sighs. "Packed your stuff?"  
>"Yes."<br>"Let's go."

"What about your-"

"I'll get some new stuff." He says. I carefully climb out of bed, reaching for the window latch, hitting it until it opens. We float out breezily into the air, and we're quiet, our streams of blue being light, our movement being carefully relaxed. Nobody sees us, as everyone is asleep.

We drift, until we're finally by the shopping centre. I consult my watch, seeing 3:46. I nod, and he nods. "Mall's still sleeping." He says, as he dashes through the doors. I stand outside, confused. How did he get through closed doors?

The doors swing open, and he grins. "M'lady." He mockingly says, using hand gestures. I giggle, walking in and taking his hand, only to let go. We get to do whatever we want inside the mall.

It's amazing. I dance to CDs with Boomer, we try on clothes, laughing, posing; even putting makeup on each other. I dab at his face with a brush, giving him a dollish look. Pink blusher, red lipstick, redder than roses, and of course a blonde wig, the hair flowing past his shoulders. I'm proud of my handiwork.

I hold the hand mirror up, allowing him to inspect himself. He chuckles, a deep, hearty sound that makes me suddenly lean forward and kiss him. Surprised, he falls off his chair, the blusher hidden under the red flush.

I can't help but laugh. He has lipstick on his mouth, but he seemed to think it was a good idea to give me orange lipstick. It stands out with ease.

**xxx**

Blossom's POV

Me and Buttercup awaken, of course, nothing is how it should be. Instead, we find Bubbles is out of her bed, and Octi is missing too.

Buttercup, of course, has doubts. She ignored her, as they crept downstairs slowly. Eventually, we reach the kitchen, where we can hear clattering sounds. Buttercup stops worrying and nods. We walk in, and surely enough, there's someone who looks like Bubbles…

From the back of the head, anyway.

We both grin, jumping on them, grabbing their arms and hugging them. They look confused – very confused.

"Hi, I'm Bobby. Who are you?" He asks. We suddenly jump back, surprised.

"What do you mean…?"  
>"I don't know who you are talking abou-"<p>

I wake up, properly, from the nightmare.

"Buttercup?" I ask. I shift my eyes around the room, and automatically, the space where Bubbles should sleep is gone.

"Breakfast time." She says, grinning. "Bubbles is already downstairs."

"Okay." I say, and I just choose to think she's not missing forever.

We both fly out of bed, straight towards the bathroom. Within like, seven seconds, we've showered and brushed our teeth.

Once we reach the kitchen, we see Professor cooking eggs and bacon. Bubbles is nowhere to be found.

"Professor?" I ask, quietly.

He turns. "Is Bubbles sleeping in?"

I don't usually lie, unless… unless there's a good reason.

"Um… yeah. She's probably going to be sleeping in for a while. Wouldn't wake her if I were you." I say quickly, as Buttercup shoots me a questioning look.

I draw a finger to my lips for a split second, and she sees. To make it seem more natural, I pinch my chin.

We gobble up our breakfast in our room, having carried it upstairs. Buttercup eats hungrily, and I eat slowly.

Eventually, we both can talk without food in our mouth. Well, Buttercup probably hid her food, but whatever.  
>"Bubbles isn't with us, you know." I say. "Do you think Mojo took her?"<p>

"Absolutely not. Remember what happened last time, 10 years ago?"

"Oh… yeah. He's probably retired now, too."

10 years _is _a long time.

"Um… well, let's look at all the _un_retired villains." I suggest.

"Fuzzy Lumpkins?" Buttercup asks.  
>"Bubbles frightens him too, now."<p>

"Um… the Rowdyruff Boys?" She asks, tapping her head.

"Are they still alive?"  
>"Yeah, I saw Butch at the beach." She mumbles, blushing slightly.<p>

Ah. So they were alive. I took no notice of her blushing, nor did I honestly notice it.

"Well… Boomer or Brick, or even Butch could've kidnapped Bubbles." I logically point out. "But do you know where their base is?"  
>"Not really. But they may not have changed it from where we last found them."<p>

"The arcade!"

"The sweet shop!"

We both say at the same time. I glance at her, and she glances at me.

"I thought it was the arcade."

"We can try both, you know…"

"How long do we have to stall Professor, though?"  
>"She's going to be in there. Call me when you find her, and if <em>I <em>find her, I'll call _you._" She nods, and flies downstairs.

Firstly, before I left, I rearranged Bubbles' bed to make it look like she was still there. Hopefully, Professor wouldn't even check.

But because I didn't know that, the timer was ticking. I had to go, and fast.


	3. Family

Bubbles' POV

I looked at Boomer. It was day now, and we were both in town, outside the mall. He said nothing to me, but we were hiding.

"Boomer?" I ask.

"Yes, Bubbles?" He responds.

"Maybe we have to move onto another town… I mean, I'll be found quickly in Townsville." I tell him. He nods, slowly, and walks towards the trees. I look confused, but I follow him anyway.

"Hide." He says breathlessly, underneath his breath.

We hide behind the trees, and he equips his phone from his pocket. "Look at this, his says, pointing at Townsville. We could fly out of this very country, Bubbles. But are you ready to give _everything_ up to only come and follow me to live… to live… maybe to live with me." He mutters the last part.

I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to leave my sisters behind, but if I stayed where we lived, perhaps I'd go insane and kill myself. I didn't trust me anymore, or who had been left behind after my mini rampage, that had cost Cody.

"I'm not sure." I start, truthfully. "But… could we look around town once more? If I do leave, I know I'll miss this place." I add.

"Even the beach?" He teases.

"Even the beach." I tell him.

**xxx**

Buttercup's POV

Butch prowled and growled. He was moving towards me, but like a wild animal, I barely moved. I kept my voice steady and repeated the question – for the sixth time.

"Where's Bubbles?" I snap, folding my arms.

"Where's Boomer?" He retorts.

I shrug, and he shrugs at the same time.

"You know where (s)he is." We both say at the same time.

There's no laughter, because we're _still_ accusing each other, and we both seem to be aware we'll never get an answer.

"Tell me where you last saw Boomer." He snarls.

"Only if you tell me ditto, about Bubbles."

"Fine," he snaps, "on three, we'll say it."  
>"One…" I begin.<p>

"Two." He adds.

"Three."

"The beach." We both say at the same time.

"Well, shit. Boomer's probably drowned himself, the little idiot." Even though he insults his little brother, I can tell he really cares about him and would hate to see Boomer hurt.

"Please," I start, "Bubbles is more likely to have drowned herself and him." I snort, sarcastically. Butch snorts as well.

"I don't think Bubbles is that dumb." He suggests.

"Me neither, to be honest. I think she's smarter than people give her credit for." I tell him.

He nods.

"I think we should look for the Bs." I point out, awkwardly.

"Bs?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Their names start with B." I dryly state.

He shrugs.

"Let's go to the beach."

"Right."

We both fly, in twists of green streams curving around each other. Eventually, after flying and moving out of the way of buildings, aeroplanes and toy helicopters.

I move like a green thread, and the sky is the fabric.

"Check the toilets first. If you don't see her, meet me back here." He tells me.

I have no idea whether we'll find them or not, as we land on the beach. Without so much as looking at each other, we hobble around awkwardly, and at one point duck into the toilets.

I go to the female toilets, and he the male toilets. But Bubbles seems smart enough not to hide in this decaying mess. I ignore the slime slavered all over the wall, or the dripping tap… or whatever that greenish yellow mess coming out of it is.

Swallowing my pride and the fact I probably didn't bring my hand sanitiser, I slowly move towards one stall. Knocking on the door, licking my lips, I quietly ask for her name.

No answer. I kick the door, and it flies off its hinges. An old woman is stood by the door, knees shaking and her face growing whiter every second. I grit my teeth.

"Sorry, Ma'am." I say respectfully, and she nods, wordlessly. "I'll leave now, I just thought…" I choose not to share this information, and quickly exit, without checking the other stalls. She obviously wasn't hiding in there.

_Ping!_

I check my phone, waiting for Butch to come back. Blossom's sent me a text.

Excitedly (even though I'm _never_ excited by my phone), I look at the text. Quickly, I sink slightly – she hasn't found Bubbles, and is asking if _I've_ seen her. I sigh depressively. _Not at all, not a trace._ I text back.

_Ping!_

"D'you think she'll come back for Cody's funeral?" I read aloud.

"Ah, really? Cody was a good kid, y'know." Butch says, being stood behind me. I shake my head at him, not sure if I'm peeved or okay with what he's telling me.

I quickly text her back, creating such a tiny gap to think of a retort. It's a convenient and good gap.

"Come _on_, his funeral's been planned for like, a million weeks. I know you're pretty backwards, but living under a rock is low – even for you." I sarcastically point out. He shrugs.

"So? Unlike you, the news isn't my soap opera. Got enough of that already, with Boomer missing." He says.

I chuckle, and he titters. Weirdly enough, I think I like his sense of humour.

"It's a mystery worthy of The X-Files. Two people just disappear… at the same time." I continue to joke.

His eyes widen. "You don't think…?"

I cut him off.

"Absolutely not, Butch. They didn't _Butch_er him."

That pun was awful, and he just _had_ to understand it.

"Not cool, Buttercup." He says, but he's smiling. "That's not what I meant." He finishes.

I say nothing – I know exactly what he's implying. "C'mon. Let's get back to the arcade."

We both fly, racing each other in the sky. It's funny, because we have to swerve around buildings, and at one point Butch collides with a crane. The look on his face is so dazed, dopey, and kind of cute.

Not that I think much of him anyway.

"Nice, linear movement." I mock him, and he growls playfully. Grabbing me by the waste, he flies with me.

We crash into a toy aeroplane, and he refuses to steer, resulting in a second crash. "Smooth." He teases, after letting go of me. I realise his grip wasn't even that tight and I could've broken out of it. I have no idea why I didn't.

I land first, and he falls to the ground, practically. Luckily, it's not that fast a fall. Can't say much for him though, he grimaces and pulls faces. I think he's just fussing though.

"Brick – you're unbelievable." I hear Blossom snap.

"Ooh. Drama." I whisper to Butch, whose eyes glint.

"Me likey." He jokes.

We slowly and carefully move towards them, listening in.

"Really, Blossom? I'm just sayin'. He didn't skip outta town for no good reason. Plus, I'm thinkin' he 'n' Bubbles is together."

That was the worst English I'd ever heard, but I chose not to be judgemental.

"My sister does _not_ like your brother. Hell, even Buttercup couldn't fall for your dim-witted, dumb sack of meat you call Butch!"

"Like he'd ever like her. She's just a fu—flipping burden on _everyone_ she surrounds. Even Ms Keane couldn't stand 'er."

"Don't you dare talk about _my_ sister that way!"

"Then don't talk about _my_ brother _that_ way!" He yells.

I can hear her shout, and a bonus: I hear and see her slap him around the face.

"Damn, that hit must've been hard. Did you hear his skin like, cry?" I ask Butch.

He's become paler now, like the old lady. He snaps out of it when he notices me staring at him. "Yeah. A hard hit." He echoes quietly.

"Don't worry about Blossom," I tell him, "if it makes you feel better – she's saying that so she can piss off Brick."

"Oh." He says.

They're coming towards us.

"Quick! Pretend to fight me." I hiss.

He quickly swings at me, and I swing back. We begin to fake-fight, throwing gentle slaps onto our skin. Once we're rolling around on the floor, still pulling each other's hair, he accidentally catches me on the chest.

I can't help but slap his hand really, really hard.

He winces.

"Yikes, you've got hands." He mumbles.

**xxx**

Bubbles' POV

"Hey, Boomer."

He looks at me.

"S'up, Bubbles?"  
>"I've made my decision. I'm not leaving."<p>

The smile on his face grows by a mile.

"That's great, Bubbles!"

"Let me finish," I tell him coldly, and quietly, "I'm not leaving until Cody's funeral is over. It's too weird for me to leave four days before his funeral…" I say.

"But Bubbles, you didn't kill-"

"I know. Other people don't, and won't." I tell him simply. He looks at me, and his smile had disappeared so quickly, it was no more than a nervous twitch.

"Boomer… after his funeral, will you run away with me? I've done some research on other countries… and I'm going to fly into England if I can." I tell him. I'm stuttering now, and he's clearly stunned, perplexed by the news.

"I never thought you'd run, Bubbles. Besides, I haven't told you about it, but you… you can't run." He explains.

I look at him. "Why not?"

"Because… I have your phone, and someone… someone else knows, okay?" He says quickly, not meeting my gaze.

"What? Someone knows what?" I ask him, my voice harder now.

"Um… look. Someone snapped pictures of Cody's body being found at the beach, and of course, they zoomed in on the note. But the note doesn't look like a _suicide_ note, but rather…"

I grab my phone from him, my eyes boggling out of my head.

"Are you kidding me?!" I scream.

"Shhh, Bubbles." He clamps a hand over my mouth. "You'll alert someone." I nod quietly, and he takes his hand away.

"Well… I'll have to get rid of them," I reluctantly say. He looks like he wants to slap me around the face, more than once.

"How?" He asks automatically.

"Bubbles – I think it's time you go back to your sisters. How are they going to save the day without you?" He suggests.

"They'll be fine," I say idly, "but when I through with this person, they won't be." I say, eyes glazed, and glassily fixed on my phone's monitor.

My tone is icier, and it's because I'm _sick_ of people trying to push me around. This person is the _last_ straw.

"Come on, Boomer. We have a funeral to prepare for, and passports to create. We're going to need new identities."

We walk through town, having stolen brown wigs and sunglasses that cover our blue eyes. Under the guise of a young couple, we stop every few seconds and kiss each other. He grins at me, obviously surprised I knew what I was doing now.

People say nothing, and when we wander towards the park, people give us weird looks. I smile back at them – if only they knew.

Our visit is cut short when Boomer yanks me back, suddenly, glancing at a TV screen. He shakes his head slowly.

"Look." He says, pointing at the screen.

I see the reporter's lips move, but my eyes are fixed on the headline and I hear nothing else:

**THIRD MURDER RESULTS IN POLICE LEAKING A POWERPUFF AND ROWDYRUFF'S NAME TO THE PUBLIC AS POTENTIAL SUSPECTS.**

Every few seconds it swaps the headline, but there are only four headlines. Eventually, I tear my eyes away and look at Boomer. Neither of us can breathe, and don't feel like going to the park.

"So," I say, my tone no longer jokey, "how does that trip to England sound?" I whisper to him.

He looks at me, and then opens his mouth to answer.

**To be continued.**

**A/N: Keep reading and reviewing! Also, to answer the other question: 'Was Cody already dead?' Most likely: Bubbles found the note hours later, and he would most likely have died in that time. PM me for requests!**

**~Adelost**


	4. Assistance

Bubbles' POV

Boomer and I lay with our brown wigs on, trying to think of a way we're connected to Cody. He grins, looking up at me hopefully.

"I think I've got it!" He shouts excitedly. I automatically cock my head, fascinated. Boomer… Boomer sometimes had good ideas, and he'd not been having a shortage of them lately.

"Um… we're his cousins? It's basic, and simple, and-"

"Totally obvious." I finish, cupping my chin. "We could just slip in."  
>"Nope, Bubbles. Invitation only, remember?"<br>"Then _we'll_ have to be the bad guys. Boomer, have you ever faked a murder?"  
>"Wait… what?"<p>

I put a finger to my lips, and leap up from the grass of the park. After gesturing for him to follow me, we creep along the alleyways, reaching an isolated stretch of greenery. A meadow, perhaps.

What it is isn't important, anyway, but my idea is.

"Hmm… d'you remember Dexter?"

"What about him?"

"Well… we're going to need some fake blood and a red wig. Plus, maybe we should frame someone for his "murder," just to be on the safe side." I suggest.

Boomer slowly nods, processing the pure evil that just streamed out of my mouth in the form of a plot.

"Right. But… in the end, the evidence will point to a mysterious serial killer."

"I can manipulate that." I reply, crossing my fingers behind my back. Well, now the killer didn't have to be me, but I couldn't say the same for Boomer. After all, he got involved, and there will have to be a price for him to pay.

Being framed for murder is nothing new to him anyway, and there's nobody _good_ to blame it on. That's when I think of the perfect person, and it just pings inside me. I know who to blame, and I don't really think it'll affect them much.

That's why, when we end up outside the wig shop with a red wig, Boomer considers taking our wigs off, since nobody is in sight.

"It's itchy." He whines.

"We only have to buy the paint," I tell him, holding up the bags with 'Dexter's' clothing in it, "so just be patient." I finish.

He scratches his wig, but it manages to stay on anyway.

**xxx**

Our trip is successful, and we now can set up the scene. Well… we need Dexter's blood for that, and there's only one person who can guarantee we'll find it.

"Boomer, you said they know… _lots_ of things."

"They do."

"Why won't you tell me their name?"  
>He sighs.<p>

"HIM. Their name is HIM, Bubbles. That doesn't bother you, right?"

Him. I like the way it sounds in a way, so abstract and unique. I'm sure '_Him' _would hate me for thinking that, but… I choose to drop that thought for now.

"So if we fake his death, that _should_ distract Blossom, right?"  
>"Yeah, and if not, we could always frame her. She'd have to clean the misunderstanding up, and Buttercup would help." I reply.<p>

"How do we get to HIM's lair?" I ask.

I couldn't quite believe we had to turn to the equivalent to the devil to help us… clear up this little Cody problem…

Boomer blinks at me for a few seconds, before vanishing in a draught of air, wafting around my face.

A lobster like figure appears, grey hairs sprouting on their claws and replacing their eyebrows – they remind me of a carpet that's been bent, with the stick in their claws and the faint red tint to them that seems to have faded like paint.

"Bubbles," he places a hand on my left shoulder, slowly pronouncing my name, "follow me."

We walk into a misty room, until the grey engulfs me, and I began to slip out of consciousness completely. My eyes flick shut and I began to relax, loosening my shoulders from their original position that was… well, kind of uptight.

When I wake up, we're sat on chairs opposite each other. HIM blinks at me for a few seconds until he finally asks me the question.

"What brings you here?" He asks.

"Um… I have to fake Dexter's death… and… and… I need a pint of his blood."

"Speak no more, who brought you here? One does not simply find me by themselves…"  
>"Boomer… Boomer Jojo." I tell him.<p>

"Boomer… Jojo. Yes, my son is finally doing what pleases me. I'll give you his blood, just let me find it." HIM says, walking up to a cabinet marked: MORTAL BLOOD. He mutters under his breath, peeping in the D section.

A thick file comes out, and he blows onto it, resulting in that disappearing as if it were dust in the wind, replaced by a wide bottle of a red liquid marked: DEXTER. He smiles at me, before giving me the bottle.

"Thank you." Apparently HIM had become nicer with age, because in like a million years, I hadn't expected this to happen.

"No problem." HIM says, and he blows into my face. Again, mist eats me up until I tumble back into the physical world, sat on grass with Boomer, clutching the bottle of Dexter's blood.

"Where are you going to plant the evidence of his "death" then?" Boomer asks, puzzled.

"That's for me to know and you to find out." I tell him.

**xxx**

Blossom's POV

"Buttercup, you should read the cheek of these newspaper people." I tell her, pointing at a small column.

Buttercup looks at it, eating a piece of toast, but eventually drops it onto her plate when she sees the headline properly. The toast falls in a soggy, buttery heap, but she seems uninterested.

"They think you killed Dexter?" She asks, an eyebrow raised.

"I'm like, becoming the new Bubbles." I murmur angrily.

We had finally adapted to Bubbles supposedly getting up early, going on jogs and helping Boomer study, go shopping with her friends and do other stuff I or Buttercup came up with when Professor asked us where Bubbles was.

Hopefully, we'd find her soon.

"Will we ever tell Professor that Bubbles is actually missing?"

I pause, wondering how to answer her question. "If the situation gets dangerous," I begin, eating a piece of bacon and cutting some sausage, "then yes, we will." I finish, having swallowed what remained on my plate.

My plate was kind of depressing to look at, because I sat next to Bubbles, and the plate was set out for her, with food stains all over it – what was the girl even doing?

"Anyway. Where are we going to look for Bubbles now?"  
>"We can't, remember. It's Cody's funeral today."<br>"What're you going to do about Dexter?"  
>"He's not dead, but I <em>do<em> have to clear that up…"

Our conversation went back and forth – and each time I thought about Dexter, he seemed faint to the point where he disappeared altogether. I blink, reading the newspaper column once more. "How did they find my DNA at the scene?" I suddenly wonder aloud.

"What? How is that possible? You were at Princess' at 8:16pm, so you couldn't have killed him in five seconds."

"Yeah, and remember that Princess' house is like a thirty minute flight from Baron Boulevard," I say, angrily.

"Someone's probably… I don't know, stitching you up?"

"It doesn't matter. I can fix this – just make sure it's before Cody's funeral." I respond, beginning to look at my phone. Surely, four hours would be enough time to fix all of this…?

Buttercup looked up from her toast after a few minutes, quickly throwing a look at her watch. "Uh… Blossom?" She asks.

"Yes?" I say, taking my eyes off my phone to look at her properly.

"I've got to go in about ten minutes." She says.

I wonder if I should ask where – but I choose not to be nosy, instead, uninterested, I blink at my phone, idly nodding.

"Okay. See you… when you get back." As if I'm a zombie, I fix my eyes back onto my phone's screen.

**xxx**

Bubbles' POV

"Perfect." I tell him, pointing at the blood covering the gravel and sprayed on the fences. Despite the place being zoned off for the investigation, Boomer had taught me how to become invisible.

That did mean this was pointless, but we had purchased our wigs and outfits to transform into Buttercup and Blossom, so it was worth it.

In a sort of struggling-like way, the blood splattered the fences and the grass was soaked in certain spots and patches a brown-ish like colour, with flesh coloured flakes scattered in the grass as well. It looked like someone had been specifically violent.

As for the weapon… well I'd decided to drop it.

Boomer blinked at me, before speaking. "Bubbles… whilst your sister sorts out Dexter framing her for his death, or his… fake death, I don't know, shouldn't we get dressed?"

"Absolutely." I say. "But firstly… we need invites, remember?" I point out.

Now he looks really confused. "Where are we going to get invites," he whispers, "if you don't-"

"Shh. Follow me." I say, and I quickly launch myself into the air.

Boomer is a good flying companion – we fly in… well not silence, but to the relaxed music of birds and wind whooshing in our hair. Eventually, we reach our house, and our bedroom. Strangely, the window was still open.

With ease, we both tumble into the bedroom.

"Now what?" Boomer asks.

"Now… we search." I tell him, as I begin to ransack Blossom's bed for any sign of the invites. "Remember, Boomer, these invites are pieces of cards."

When I look up from the bed, having found one invite, Boomer is holding a piece of card as well.

"How did you do that so quickly?"

"I don't have 20/20 vision. I have like, 40/20 vision," he shrugs, "so, who are you? Blossom or Buttercup?"  
>"Blossom." I say, as I pull on a wig and begin to apply it to my head so it stays on.<p>

He takes the other shopping bag and trails off into the bathroom. After slapping a bow onto my head and squeezing into a pink dress, I slowly pull on my stockings, and Boomer has finished dressing up in drag in that time.

I can't help but laugh when he steps out of the bathroom, as I do up my shoes.

"You look ridiculous." I say, snorting.

Boomer mock-pouts and stretches. "I look ridiculously flashy and fabulous as Buttercup. Even she can't pull off her own outfit as much as I can. Now, hold still – remember Blossom wears a shitload of makeup, even though she hides it pretty damn well."

I sit still as he dabs and circles red blusher onto my face, carefully putting eye shadow and eyeliner onto my face. Using the last of the cotton buds we bought, he smirks.

"Awesome." He takes out his phone, handling it gingerly, and turns it to the mirror app so I can admire his handiwork.

There's lots to admire – I look like a Blossom-Barbie doll, with my cheeks the perfect shade of red, and my eyes exaggerated to the point where they're enormous little circles in my head. I whistle, clearly impressed.

"Nicely done, Boomer. Now… be grateful Buttercup doesn't wear makeup." I tease him, rummaging through my bag. "But, you've got to wear this – it's going to complete the look," I say, holding it up. He stares at it emotionlessly, instantly shaking his head.

"I've never seen Buttercup wear that, so I refuse to wear it."

"She wears it sometimes."  
>"Yeah, and this is one of those 'sometimes' she doesn't," he tells me, even throwing in air quotes to prove his point.<p>

"Alright then," I say, defeated, "get your trainers on – we've got to go like… now. Got your invite?" I ask.

He nods.

"Then we'll be going." I say, and we both float out of the window as soon as I finish my sentence breezily.

**xxx**

Buttercup's POV

We tapped at the buttons, until finally, I won. I grin, thrusting my fist into the air, but keeping my voice low as I cheered.

"I win! I win!" I announce with glee.

Butch rolls his eyes, but they seem to light up and become white-ish in colour, twinkling under the light-darkness of the arcade. The screen flashes, and he smiles properly.

"Well done. Play me again – I'll… I'll… I'll wreck you."  
>"You'll wreck me?"<br>"Hell yeah."

"Bring it on." I say, twisting my lips into a smirk – I was going to win for sure now. Before we played again, I reached for my phone and made sure that it was switched off – Blossom had nothing important to say, and to be perfectly honest, I didn't care much about Dexter.

Still, Dexter.

"Y'know, I heard Dexter died yesterday." I suddenly tell him. Butch responds by lifting an eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, and the stupider thing is, they think Blossom did it." I say, chuckling under my breath, "like Blossom would even hurt a fly. She's _way_ to into 'real justice' and all that extra bullshit." I point out.

"You said it, I didn't," he says, raising his arms in the surrender position, "have you actually heard from Bubbles or Boomer? D'you think they got anything to do with this? I mean, people didn't die until-"

"Come _on_, Butch, they aren't little serial killers. In fact, Cody committed suicide and Dexter probably faked his death."

"Wait. What? Cody killed himself? The news is making that shit up, then! They say he was murdered and his body was fished out from the river, covered in cuts."

"Huh? Bubbles showed us… she showed us his suicide note." I say, screwing up my face and closing my eyes, as I try to remember what the letter said.

"I have chosen to die near a place I love. The rocks are sharp and the waves are strong at night. My death will take a few minutes, less than the pain I endured forever." I suddenly say aloud, remembering only one bit of the letter.

"Wow," Butch says, placing a finger on his chin, "so it was a love triangle. Bubbles/Boomer/Cody, right?"

"Uh… I don't think Bubbles and Boomer are together."

Butch suddenly seems to grow darker, and it's as if he wants to kill me now, his voice lower, deeper and… more menacing.

"Buttercup – please get your shit together. Start fucking thinking – Boomer and Bubbles vanished at the same time, on the _same_ day. They most likely left together, and are going to escape this country. The only mystery here is… why the fuck are they killing people?" He asks, and the last bit he seems to be asking himself.

Stubborn as ever, I choose to argue back, even though deep down, I'm aware he's probably correct.

"I _have_ got my shit together, Butch. That's a stupid, crazy coincidence. Plus… how'd you know that Boomer and Bubbles left at the exact time? Is there something you're hiding?"

Butch simply glances at me for a few seconds. "Buttercup… I think Bubbles and Boomer aren't even in the country. I just realised…"

"Shut up." I snap, unwilling to accept it, "tell me how you know they left at the exact same time-"

"I've got to go," he gabbles, interrupting me mid-sentence, as he quickly grabs his jacket, and so I can't catch up with him, seems to explode in a shower of green sparks into the air, as if he's a gas.

"That… that fucking douche. He knows something." I put my phone back on, to discover 12 new messages for Blossom. A nice little welcome from her, as usual.

"Cody's funeral… our invites are missing."

"No they're not," I text back, "mine's in the drawer next to your bed."

_Beep._

"I'll be right there." I text her, after receiving the next message.

**xxx**

We sit on the chairs, both blinking at each other wordlessly, until I finally think about what Butch said.

"What use does this… this… thief have for our invites?"  
>Blossom shrugs. It's strangely relieving to know Miss-Know-It-All hasn't an answer this time.<p>

"I… the person I met was a private eye." I tell Blossom.

She nods idly, and I can tell she's incredibly detached… sad, because she still hasn't seen Bubbles. Blossom wasn't listening, and I couldn't blame her – it numbed my ears to know our sister was likely dead, or didn't want to see us ever again… or… or… she committed suicide.

I exhale sadly. "The private eye say, well… they say that Bubbles and Boomer have probably left the country," I put my head in my hands, and practically whisper the last part, "which means there's no hope. We've lost her."

Blossom suddenly blinks behind her mask, and instantly, a torrent of fat, salty tears fly out of her eyes, streaking her makeup all over her face. I open my arms, and a strange feeling flushes and swishes inside me.

She dives into my arms, and we both rest our heads on each other's shoulders, her sobbing, and me awkwardly patting her back. Without Bubbles whispering in our ears that Professor will fix everything, it seems wrong.

I try to imagine her silhouette crying with us, wiping her tears away with her sleeve, and I tell her off for being a baby. As she slowly comes to life in an animated version of herself, she seems to fade away just as quickly.

"She's gone, Buttercup." Blossom says, gasping for breath as she continues to sob violently.

"I know, I know. Um… Blossom, I don't think we should go to the funeral… tonight." I tell her.

"No, we must."  
>"With what invitations?"<p>

She blinks, and suddenly looks lost once more. "I guess a stay-in will have to do." She murmurs, standing up, removing herself from my hug and walking to the bathroom.

"Want any tissues?" She asks, stood in the door.

I force a smile onto my face. "I'll… I'll be okay." I say, more quietly than I usually do. As she leaves, my gaze instantly flicks back to Bubbles' empty bed.

"Why…? What did we do?" I whisper to the bed.

Professor calls from downstairs, asking if Bubbles is feeling better.

"Uh… yeah," I say, trying to think of a reason she's not here, "Bubbles went out to tutor Boomer. She's having pizza, too, so… so don't make her dinner."

Professor barely reacts – he doesn't seem to find it strange Bubbles is never home when he is.

Blossom returns, having blinked her tears away, but her little eyelashes are still spiky and clearly look damp from a distance.

As she becomes closer, I try to look her right in the eyes, but the glitter in her eyes from her tears scare me too much to even speak.

"She's gone." Blossom says, and I can feel the aching in her chest, curled up inside her like… like her own little baby. It grows inside me, from an embryo to a foetus. I exhale.

"Yeah. We… can we find her?" I suddenly ask.

Blossom looks surprised and startled, but ends up sighing, looking like she doesn't want to have to answer my question.

"I don't know," She says, her gaze focussed on the window, "I don't know, Buttercup."

We both hear something at the window, and quickly run towards it. Surprisingly, what we've been waiting for is hovering by the window.

Instantly, we both dive for the window latch to open it, but Blossom beats me to it and pushes the window open. Finally – we'd been reunited.

With Butch, Brick, Boomer and Bubbles, who was being held in Brick's arms.

Bubbles blinked at all of us, then finally spoke.

"I need your help." She says, entering through the window, after Brick finally dropped her – apparently she had tried to escape earlier, his grip had looked pretty tight.

I was convinced I was dreaming, already stretching out a hand to pinch myself, when Bubbles suddenly stepped forward, whispering.

"I missed you guys."  
><em>So did we.<em>


	5. Think Tank

Before we even respond, we run towards Bubbles, who smiles and opens her arms. The smell of her has changed, her stance has changed, and her hair is no longer in pigtails. It feels great to have my arms around her essence once more.

I smile as she does too, but the smile quickly slips away from my face when I realise how thin she's become… slimmer than me, slimmer than Blossom, as if she hadn't eaten anything. I ignore this, and focus on the warmth of the hug, how amazing it is.

It's even better when she whispers sweet-nothings into our ears, and the sound of her voice soothes my ears.

Butch looks at me, and automatically walks up to me, carrying Boomer by the ear. I barely look up from our hug, seeing Boomer struggling under his weight, and detach myself.

"Hug over." I announce, and Bubbles and Blossom stop instantly, all turned to face Bubbles and Boomer, who both step to the centre.

"Alright, Bubbles, Boomer. Why d'you need our help?"

"I… well… Cody's funeral is today, and… _hissuicidenoteisinthereanditmakesmelooklikehiskiller._" She babbles.

"What?"  
>"His suicide note's in the coffin and it makes me look like I killed him."<br>"What?!" Me _and_ Blossom call out.

Boomer scuffs his feet, looking at the floor.

"Y-Yeah. We have to find…"

"We missed his funeral."

"Shit." Boomer says into the silence that follows. Bubbles waddles up to the TV, hobbling under her… lack of weight, as she switches the TV on.

The news is on, of course, and the breaking news?

Oil spill in Villetown's biggest ocean: Villeanian Ocean.

Oh, and Cody's supposed murder.

"Oh… um… you should… you should turn it up." Bubbles says, clearly interested by the headline.

"The note found in Cody Smith's coffin is too vague to point to a certain killer, however, the public still continues to search for Boomer Jojo and Bubbles Utonium, who were thought to have close relationships with Cody." We all hear from the TV.

"Ah…" Boomer says.

**xxx**

Boomer's POV

After the TV is switched off, we all turn to look at Blossom and Brick, who are muttering to each other… or nagging each other.

"Your ideas stink." Brick says to Blossom. She rolls her eyes, and I have a feeling her ideas are actually good.

"Like yours are any better." She snaps back, and this time Brick rolls his eyes at her.

"What were your ideas?" I suddenly say aloud.

Blossom blinks at me, but sticks her chin out, "Brick says it's rubbish, so you don't have to hear it," I don't know how this affects her – Brick isn't even that relevant.

"So? Since when was Brick… Head of all Ideas Ever Conjured?" I ask, making up the title as I go along.

"Uh…"

Buttercup and Butch turn to look at me. I've spoken a lot more than I had for the past weeks, because Bubbles didn't really let me talk.

Bubbles nods, waiting for Blossom to speak.

"I forgot my idea." She mutters, and we all roll our eyes, obviously disappointed by this news. Blossom always had good ideas, only to forget them.

Apparently the disappearance of both me and Bubbles had actually hurt them mentally.

Bubbles told me it wouldn't, that her sisters didn't need her anyway to fight to save the day. Now that I think about it… she was right, as much as I hated to think it, I knew that she had a point. Bubbles felt and… well… was worthless.

"How could we… fix this?" Blossom asks, "We need to brainstorm."  
>"How would Princess sort this out?" I say, trying to make a joke in the tense and unfamiliar atmosphere. I hadn't realised how hard returning would be.<p>

I throw a quick look at the window, that's still open to the point where I can climb through it and fly out of it, faster than a bullet until I was gone. I wanted to leave, but Bubbles said she couldn't work by herself.

Brick coughs and walks to the window, shutting the window.

There's a pause, and obviously, everyone's unsure if I was joking or I was serious. Buttercup slaps a hand onto her face and _then_ finally I choose to speak.

"Um… money?" I suggest.

I look at the floor awkwardly, then turn towards Buttercup, whose hands are detached from her face, and instead rest on her chest, folded. "We're _not_ bribing them."

"It was a joke." I mumble.

Her eyebrows raise to the point where they may as well drop off her forehead, and the disapproval in her eyes burns my skin each time I try to meet her gaze.

My gaze grows foggy, and my eyes begin to cloud over and become milky. She obviously was taking a dislike to me.

"Jokes aren't fucking relevant right now. We're talking a shitload of-"

"I've got it!" Bubbles cries out, excitedly. We all cock our heads, turning in her direction.

"You said that HIM can do magic, didn't you, Boomer?"

I grow hot, blushing furiously as my brothers turn to look at me, clearly glaring – I had no reason to tell her.

I look away from my brothers' gazes and turn to Bubbles. "Uh… yeah. I-I did tell you that."

The looks they're giving me are worse, piercing into my very soul.

"Well then, we can just get him to revive Cody, can't we?"  
>Blossom looks up, slowly nodding in approval, only to shake her head once more. "No, Bubbles, HIM is our enemy."<p>

Bubbles smirks, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. "That's why the boys'll do it for us." She says, the tone of maliciousness quickly disappearing to a cuter, and more innocent way of speaking.

Brick coughs loudly, implying that he's not in for it, whilst I scuff my shoes on the bedroom floor, and Butch shakes his head in a similar way that Blossom did.

"Yeah… no."

Bubbles widens her bug-like eyes, until she's staring into our souls, and blinking, tears beginning to wet her eyes. Her eyelashes became spikier, and water was dripping off one of them.

That was amazing – could she make herself cry on command?

"Brick… we… we could."

"No." He says, folding his arms, face like thunder, "we could, but we _aren't_."

Butch looks up, finally sighing, as Buttercup has joined the guilt trip train – now all three girls are staring at us, their eyes practically bulging out of their heads, tears slowly leaking down their cheeks.

"Fine." Brick says grudgingly, huffing as they fall out of position and start crowding around us, hugging, smiling – the room seems to light up as Bubbles wraps her arms around me.

I try not to think of what HIM could do to Cody and render his spell evil. Instead, I think about what lies ahead for us – if Cody never died, then that would open up news reporters _everywhere_, assuming he faked his death.

Bubbles has me in a tighter grip, hugging me and squeezing my muscles until they turn to water.

But then the air is being sucked out, as if she's trying to choke me – her eyes glint briefly, the blue sparkling under the light, until Blossom breaks the death grip she has on me – we're both wordlessly staring at each other.

For a few seconds, I see regret flash in her eyes, eyebrows tucked in and pointing downwards, her eyes small and sad. There's a feeling that seems wrong… off in my chest – but I smile at her, mouthing 'no worries' at her.

She says nothing, but a small smile flickers onto her face. Compared to her other smiles, it was a grisly parody of itself – a ghost of a smile.

**A/N: Yeah, that wraps up chapter five. Sorry for not updating – and there literally won't be any other pairings until maybe the next two or three chapters – I'll try my best to get some Blossom x Brick into Chapter 6.**


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